Box-fastener



(No Model.)

- BILLING-S.

Box Fasteners.

No. 235,335. Patented Dec. 14,1880.

M tnesses; Inventor.-

N-FETERS, PKDTO-UTNOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. D C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY F. BlLLINGS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

BOX-FASTENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 235,335, dated December 14, 1880.

Application filed October 1, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY F. BILLINGS, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and 'State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Box-Lid Fasteners; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming apart hereof, and in which Figure 1 represents a box with my fastener attached thereto and from which the lid or cover is removed. Fig. 2 represents one end of the same box, with the lid placed thereon and fastened down orlocked with myimproved fastener. Fig. 3 represents a side elevation of the inner side of the cleat D, which is attached to and forms a part of the lid, showing the manner in which it is constructed; and Fig. 4: represents a top view of the same,

Like letters of reference indicate like parts.

The object of my invention is to provide a cheap device for fastening the cover to the body of a box or egg-carrier, and which can be easily and quickly operated without injury to the box; and my invention consists in the construction and arrangement of the several parts as hereinafter more particularly described.

In the drawings, A in Fig. 2 represents a box or egg-carrier, provided with a cover, 0, from which the part immediately above the fastener is broken away, so as to more fully show the construction of the several parts, and to the ends of which are firmly attached cleats D. The cleats D are constructed with a notch, b, across their inner vertical side, at or near about their longitudinal center, and of a depth sufficient to admit the upper portion of the lock or fastener. The cleats D are also provided with a notch, a, across their top edge, so placed that one end thereof shall correspond with the outside edge of the notch d, as shown, and upon the upper edge of the box is cut a notch, at, opposite to that in the cleat D, and of about the same depth and size.

To the outer end of the box are firmly attached cleats B, through which are passed wires or rods 0 through snugly-fitting holes, made at a point to fit with and pass through the notches b of the cleats D, when the upper end of said wire is bent at right angles to the axis thereof into the notch a, and when so bent forms a hook or arm, d, lying Within and upon the bottom of the notch a and against one end thereof, as shown in Fig. 1. After the arm at is in the position as just described, the lower end of said wire 0 is also bent at right angles to the axis against the under edge of the cleat B, so that the arm, 0, so formed shall lie at or about an angle of ninety degrees from that of the arm d, and pointing to the same side of the wire 0 as the notch or when the fastener so formed is open.

The operation of my improved box-lid fastener is as follows, namely: When it is desired to secure the cover to a box provided with my fastener, the fastener c d e is first placed in the position shown in Fig. 1. The lid is then placed over the box so that the exposed vertical part c of the fastener shall pass through the vertical slot or notch 12 of the cleat D, which brings and holds the lid in its proper position. The arm 6 is then turned so as to point in the opposite direction, which causes the arm 01 also to point in its opposite direction, and so brings it from the notch a into the notch a of the cleat D, as shown in Fig.2, and thus securely locks and holds the lid upon the box.

In my device, as above described, it will be observed thatno part of thefasteneris attached to the cover of the box, and is out of the way, protected from contact, and not liable to be injured or broken when the box is opened or closed.

I am aware that wire fasteners attached to the inside of the box or crate by means of staples and having one end let into a staple projecting from the covers, also a rotatable L- shaped wire screwed in the cleat at the end of the box and so as to rest within a corresponding-shaped mortise in the cleat attached to the cover, and also a headed L-shaped wire rotatably secured within the cleat of the cover and so as to engage under the cleat of the box, have heretofore been used, and all of which are objectionable, for the reason that the fastener is liable to be injured when the box is opened or the cover removed from the box.

Having thus described my invention, what I to each other, and so that the arm at shall engage within the mortise a in the oleatD of the cover 0, and the arm 6 below the cleat B of the box A, when closed, and within the mortise a and below the cleat B of the box when opened, 5 substantially as shown and described.

HENRY F. BILLINGS. Witnesses:

WM. ZIMMERMAN, N. CowLEs. 

